NHL insider: “Zero chance” NHLers are going to Olympics

We're less than two months away from the official opening of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China and we still don't know yet if we'll see NHL players representing their countries.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has chosen his words very meticulously lately when asked about the league's participation in the Games, leaving many to feel that he's getting ready to pull the rug out from under us all.

NHL insider Matthew Barnaby, formerly of ESPN, reported yesterday that there's "zero chance" the NHL goes to Beijing for the Games.

Of course, if the players do end up going there's serious concern about the strict COVID-19 restrictions in China. The rules are such that if anyone tests positive while competing that they'll have to quarantine in China for at least five weeks. That's a real concern for players who are already so far away from their homes. It's one thing to leave your family to represent your country in the Olympics, but it's another to sit in a Beijing "isolation facility" and undergoing testing for five weeks with no outside human interaction. 

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner and San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson have both already informed Team Sweden that they'll opt out of competing due to the possibility of being placed in quarantine. For Team Canada defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and superstar forward Connor McDavid have both expressed uncertainty with attending the games.

From Pietrangelo:

“I’ve got four kids that are under the age of 3 1/2. For me to be potentially locked up there for five weeks plus the Olympics, that’s a long time being away from my family.”

Alex Pietrangelo

Honestly, I don't blame the guy. 

McDavid himself has gone on record saying that the idea of a five week quarantine is "unsettling".

Again, I don't blame these guys for being apprehensive. To be frank, I'd be wary of traveling to China these days period, never mind putting myself in a situation where I'm quarantined and under observation for five weeks.

But... what exactly does that entail? What will the players be subjected to and where will they stay?

In his latest 32 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman reports on the Chinese government's "isolation facilities" set up for NHL players who test positive.

Check it out:

According to the Athletes’ Playbook, released this week, “If you have a confirmed positive test: You will not be allowed to compete/continue your role. If you are symptomatic, you will be asked to stay at the designated hospital for treatment. If you are asymptomatic, you will be asked to stay in an isolation facility.” At a hospital, you will be discharged when: “Your body temperature returns to normal for three consecutive days; respiratory symptoms improve significantly; lung imaging shows significant improvement; you have two consecutive negative PCR test results with a sample interval of at least 24 hours; and you display no other COVID-19 symptoms.” At an isolation facility: “You will be tested every day, beginning 24 hours after your last test. You will be discharged once you have two consecutive negative PCR test results with at least 24 hours between the two samples and no other COVID-19 symptoms.”

- Elliotte Friedman

Check, please! 

In all seriousness, if I were a veteran player with nothing to prove to myself I'd be dropping out of this ASAP. If you're someone like Karlsson or if you're a Team Canada or Team USA veteran like Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, Patrick Kane or T.J. Oshie are you really jumping at the chance to go to China? I can understand younger guys like McDavid, Elias Pettersson and Auston Matthews champing at the bit to get out there, but if you're a veteran who, again, has nothing to prove and who stands to miss out on weeks away from his family why would you put yourself in that kind of situation?